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A friend recently asked me if she should get an eBook reader or should she pay the extra and go with an iPad. It got me thinking about the things I do with my iPad and what I would do in her place.

Considerations

My first response was to ask her if reading was all she wanted to do, and if so, maybe a dedicated eBook reader such as the Kindle or the Sony eReader might be better. I have no experience with the latter, but my father has a Kindle and I have to admit it is very easy on the eye. Certainly, it would be easier on the budget to go with this option. Still, I am a keen reader and have many eBooks on my iPad, and find it really comfortable. Another thing to ask, if you have an iPhone, iPod Touch or similar, is if you can do all you want to do with Apps on that device. All of the things I do on my iPad could be done on an iPhone or iPod touch, but the big difference for me is the screen size, and the keyboard size. Things are much easier to read and see on an iPad than on the iPhone, and it is also easier to enter text with the larger keyboard. The third thing you need to consider is whether you need Internet access on the go, or whether a Wi-Fi only device is the go. If you already have a smart phone that you use, then perhaps Wi-Fi is all you need. Continue reading →

Like this:

Fractions was never fun when I was school, except when I got to play with food. Now my children have the benefit of a fun App with a few activities to help reinforce what they are learning about fractions.

Features

There are four activities, each with 3 levels of difficulty. The levels of difficulty mean the App could be used for children in middle to upper primary school. A training mode guides children through each activity, although the caption has a glaring misspelling. A cute musical theme plays in the background but it can be turned off using the control on the main screen. (Believe me, you’ll want to use it as the ‘cute’ wears off fairly quickly.) Continue reading →

New to the iTunes App Store (and also available for Android) is The Wrong Book, written and illustrated by Nick Bland and given its electronic format by Wheelbarrow. Though new to my iPad, this book has been a favourite in our home for a while. So popular is it with my children that I can just about recite it backwards whilst standing on my head, and what could be more fun than that? A couple of things, actually… Continue reading →

I’ve been looking for an App to help with handwriting for some time, but unfortunately most of the handwriting apps in the iTunes App store are from the USA so naturally feature their ball-and-stick style. Finally an Australian iPhone App, rED Writing – Learn to Write, has arrived. It features all Australian handwriting styles and enables the user to select the style particular to their state or territory. Continue reading →

While I love my iPad, one thing I’ve found frustrating is the inability to access Flash websites. My children are allowed to access the Internet under my supervision, and the iPad is great for this as they can have the iPad wherever I am. Even a laptop doesn’t have that kind of flexibility (and I don’t want kids carrying laptops around the house). The big frustration has been their inability to access Flash sites, including one site that is part of their weekly homework. It means relocating to another room to sit with them while they do their task, while mine remain undone just that bit longer. (Could being a slave to their education be my excuse for a messy house?)

Rover changes all of that. It has been designed specifically for the educational needs of teachers and K-12 students and packs a lot of features into a free app. Continue reading →

The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter will have its 110th birthday this October (Personal Trivia: it was published just days after my paternal Grandmother was born) and it is just as fresh and wonderful for children today as it was at the beginning of last century. It is a must-have book for the family bookshelf. There are a few electronic versions available, including several on the iTunes App store, but today I’m just going to look at the treatment Loud Crow gives it in their version PopOut! The Tale of Peter Rabbit. The great news is that its sequel, PopOut! The Tale of Benjamin Bunny, was recently released. Another Beatrix Potter Tale has also been given the Loud Crow treatment with PopOut! The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin, equally as fabulous.

If you can imagine a delightful vintage Pop-up book, then you’ve pretty much got the picture. Continue reading →